Thoughts

What surprised me about Secret Woods was that it is such a small area. Looking at the location on the map and the map they had inside, it shocked me how lush and how much wildlife had been sustained there. Now there are roads and highways and shopping malls and all types of man-made structures around what used to be a beautiful place.

What intrigued me was how much each type of living thing depends on one another. There were mangroves which grow in the salty water that sustain life for fishes, frogs, geckos, birds, and other creatures. Every part all revolves around each other. The butterfly field they have there was also very interesting and beautiful.

It disturbed me that there was a decent amount of trash even on the preserve. Near the water edge of the park alot of pollution, bottles, plastic bags, etc were washing up and onto the land. I think littering is a terrible act and hard to see.

I thought some of the trails were somewhat repetitive and seemed to look similar. That was the only "boring" part.

This was a much different observation then my first because Secret Woods was an actual site and a type of location that Marine Biologists would study and research. Whereas the Oceanographic Center is a place where they do the studying and research. It was nice to be out in the field and actually be connecting with the nature part of the subculture, especially on a gorgeous, warm, sunny day. But the two observations go hand in hand because what you find in the field, you bring back with you to the lab.

2nd Observation-Secret Woods

Earlier today I visited Secret Woods State Park located in Dania Beach. This area is one of the few areas still being preserved for wildlife purposes. In the park, there are boardwalks and natural trails which individuals can follow. Some of the plant species I recognized included: wild coffee, beauty bush, love vine, Ficus tree, and Black Mangroves. These all pertain to the coastal system areas in south Florida. There were also many types of spiders, birds and fish in the area. Secret Woods also has an inside exhibit with a bee hive, snakes, and other information on the area. This type of habitat is studied by Marine Biologists due to the plant life and marine life. I enjoyed Secret Woods it was beautiful, serene, and full of wildlife.

1st Observation-Oceanographic Center

This morning at around 11 am, I visited Nova Southeastern's Oceanographic Center. It is located in Dania Beach and the John U. Llyod State Park is present in the area as well. The "OC" is as far back as you can go on the trail and resides right on the water. I got a mini tour of the center. When you first walk in, there is a lounge and classrooms. I immediately noticed a huge skeleton of a manatee. Since NSU has just recently received $15 million in federal stimulus money to build the country’s largest coral reef research center, there was a model for the new designs of the center. Classrooms were also in the OC, such as many labs. They had a plankton lab and a sponge lab. There were also turtle shells and skulls on display. Finally, outside of the OC in the back, there was the marina. NSU had many boats with the logo on it and were used for all types of research out in the field. I also found out that Lance Robinson runs all of the dive programs from the OC and is the Harbor master.

Jan 15th 2010

First blog post